Yolanda Cruz
Directing
Biography
Yolanda Cruz is an independent filmmaker from a Chatino community in San Juan Quiahije, Oaxaca. She has produced and directed two feature films, three short fiction films, and seven documentaries. Her most recent feature film is La Raya (2024). The constant themes in her work are art, indigenous languages, and migration. As an indigenous, migrant, and Latina filmmaker, she has focused on filming urgent issues for her community and presenting new topics for discussion. She is an alumna of Sundance Institute and the University of California Los Angeles film school.
Known For
In the almost deserted town of La Raya, a mysterious refrigerator appears out of nowhere. Sotera Santos and her friend Eric see an opportunity to make a fortune by selling it. However, the fridge soon starts unveiling strange and enigmatic phenomena to those who approach it. As Sotera grapples with these unsettling occurrences, she must also face the painful reality that her mother might not return to take her to the United States, and that perhaps her departure from La Raya is not yet meant to be.
Town Of La Raya
Luz, a divorced Los Angeles court translator, returns to her mother's home in Oaxaca, where she struggles with societal judgment over being divorced and childless. After meeting a local healer and hearing a folktale about widows reclaiming their lives, Luz begins dating and discovers her independence.
40+
A documentary that relates the story of an under-represented people who endure harsh circumstances in the hope of finding a better life on the other side of the border.
2501 Migrants: A Journey
The story of indigenous women from Oaxaca, Mexico who migrate to the Mexico-United States border in search of work and a better life for themselves and their children. Mexicans from the state of Oaxaca have been immigrating to the U.S. for generations, sending 10,000 migrants a year to the United States since 1946. Women – both those left behind in Oaxaca and those who travel to the U.S. – have a story to tell that has been heard by few.
Divided Lives
No description available.
Hope, Soledad
A Zapotec family living in Los Angeles, California, returns to their native village in Oaxaca, Mexico, to host the most important celebration in town.